


I Won't Leave You Falling

by Camelittle



Series: Convalescence [6]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Choices, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Jealousy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 17:36:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3737620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Camelittle/pseuds/Camelittle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur ventures out for a social occasion. But who is this ugly-looking bloke that Merlin's brought as his plus one? Well, all right, so he's moderately attractive, but whoever he is, Arthur doesn't like him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Won't Leave You Falling

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the "Choices" square on my [Merlin Writers Quickie Bingo](http://merlin-writers.livejournal.com/161477.html) card. 
> 
> The title is taken from Muse's "Hopelessly".

He’d been out of the house a few times, of course, but it had been such a palaver that he had always been grateful to get back home. But this was different: this was Lance’s much-anticipated barbecue, and it would have been churlish to refuse the invitation. Besides which, he wasn’t sure that Gwen would ever forgive him - and whatever mistakes he may have made over the years, he wasn’t going to make the mistake of pissing off his estate manager.

“There you go,” said Morgana, fussing with his bow tie.

“I still don’t see why a barbecue should be black tie, Morgana,” protested Arthur, although he might as well be protesting against the sunrise, so inevitable was her dominance. “I’ll get grease stains on my dinner suit.”

“Don’t be such a fuss pot.” She dithered with his hair for a bit. “There, you look positively edible, dear brother.”

He rolled his eyes. “Why does that matter? It’s only Gwen and Lance, you and Leon, and me. They’ve all seen me at my absolute worst before!”

“You never know who else might turn up.” Morgana was notoriously finicky about her own appearance, but it was a bit ripe her suddenly deciding to be all precious about his. After all, it wasn’t if he could even stand up for for very long, let alone make a grand entrance. “Let’s go, the taxi will be waiting. Did you order the bouquet?”

Lance and Gwen lived in a comfortable detached house on the outskirts of the estate. In the past, Arthur would have saddled up Hen to ride over there. Swallowing down the familiar stab of self pity, he slid onto the taxi seat, holding the bouquet on his lap while Morgana and the taxi driver stowed his wheelchair, and then they were off.

It was still light when they arrived, and the front of the house was resplendent in golden-headed daffodils and hyacinths in every hue. Gwen had always been fond of flowers. When she stepped out to greet him, she was looking radiant in a golden dress that shimmered as she walked, and Arthur felt suddenly grateful for his sister’s ministrations. He’d have felt decidedly underdressed if she hadn’t bothered.

“Good evening, what wonderful flowers! Lance, take these and put them into some water will you?” said Gwen as she helped him out of the car and into his chair. “You look very suave, Arthur.”

“Your wish is my command, my love,” said Lance, his handsome eyes twinkling as he managed to exchange a brief handshake with Arthur before he scurried eagerly away to comply with Gwen’s request.

“You look gorgeous, Gwen,” said Arthur. “The colour suits you. Lance is a very lucky man.”

“Flatterer!” She laughed.

To be honest, it wasn’t just the dress that made her look so beautiful. It was the fact that she was so happy and relaxed, clearly in love and supported. It was no less than she deserved, but Arthur couldn’t help feeling a pang of jealousy, not of Lancelot, but of them both, for their bone-deep contentedness. He sighed, a little wistfully, eyes following Lancelot through the doorway.  
  
Gwen gave him an understanding look and squeezed his good shoulder gently. “You’ll find someone soon, Arthur,” she said. “Maybe sooner than you think.”

He let out a short laugh as she started to wheel him through to the garden.

*

It was only April, and there was still a chill in the air despite all the fine weather they’d had. So Gwen and Lance had put out patio heaters on the deck in the walled garden. As dusk began to fall and the birds fell silent, he sipped at a glass of champagne, feeling himself relax into the evening. The fairy lights started to sparkle in the deepening gloom.

“Arthur.” Leon clapped him on the good shoulder. “Good to see you. Sorry about Hen.”

“Leon. Good to be back in circulation again.” To his surprise he realised that this statement was true.

He was deep in conversation with Leon about the welfare of the other horses on the estate when he heard a familiar voice. It was one that made him smile and thank Morgana mentally for the second time that evening--which must be some kind of a record--for her work at making him look presentable.

“So that’s when we decided to move Arkwright away from Thunder altogether…" Leon went on, oblivious to the newcomer. "We should really reorder the stabling. Honeycakes would be better off in a bigger space, don’t you think?”

“Yes, I can see that. Good idea, Leon. Would you excuse me a minute? There’s someone I’d need to say hello to.” He turned his chair and wheeled himself over to the gate, where he could hear Merlin’s voice.

Merlin’s face lit up. “Arthur! Gwen said you’d be here!” Merlin had also made an effort - or someone had; he thought he could see Gwen’s handiwork in the daffodil buttonhole and dark-blue silk cummerbund. Whoever it was knew what they were doing; Merlin looked simply stunning with his hair lightly styled and his face wreathed in expectant smiles. .

“Merlin! She never said a word to me!” With the brake on, Arthur put his feet on the ground, and hesitantly , putting most of his weight on his good leg, rose to his feet. “Da - da!” he said, raising his stick in triumph.

“Wow, Arthur, look at you.” Merlin positively beamed, and stepped forward to wrap Arthur in a bony-armed hug.

Arthur was so surprised at this development that he had no choice but to cling on awkwardly with his good arm, which also still held his stick.

“Oh, God, sorry!” said Merlin, releasing him and lowering him gently back into his chair. “God, it’s good to see you making so much progress! And about that…”

“Merlin?” interrupted a deep, Irish voice, and Arthur could now make out the figure of a handsome-looking bloke with hair-commercial locks and a raffish smile. Was this Merlin’s plus one for the evening? Arthur disliked him on sight.

“Ah, yeah. Arthur, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. This is Gwaine…”

Merlin ushered the bloke forward, grinning expectantly.

Gwaine grinned and held out a hand. “Gwaine Green. So you’re the cranky old geezer Merlin won’t shut up about. Merlin didn’t mention how fit you were! No wonder he goes on about you all the time.”

“Gwaine!”

Even by the dim light offered by the gathering dusk, Arthur could tell that Merlin was blushing fiercely.

“Charmed,” said Arthur, coldly, taking Gwaine’s hand and shaking it.

“Arthur, I’ve been wanting to introduce you two for ages, because--”

Arthur didn’t want to hear. He didn’t want to know that Gwaine was Merlin’s boyfriend. He could tell, just from the familiarity that they had with each other, he just didn’t want to hear it out loud. He started to cough, loudly, to drown out Merlin’s words, and then found, to his great relief that he didn’t have to, because someone else was waiting to come through the gate.

“Arthur?” It was Elena. She was wearing some fluffy light-blue concoction which didn’t leave much to the imagination. Her ample breasts looked like they were trying to escape. On another occasion Arthur would be backing away, but tonight he was so grateful to see her that he could hug her. “Arthur? Is that you?”

“Elena!” He felt an incredulous smile tug at his lips. “God! It is you! I thought you were still in the U.S.”

“Arthur, darling! I came back just so I could see you!” Elena managed to deliver every sentence at top volume, as if to compensate for her diminutive size. “I heard about Hen, darling, and Gwen told me about her and Lance… I had to come. Oh my God, look at you in a wheelchair and everything! You poor darling! Let me give you a big slobbery kiss!”

Arthur wheeled thankfully away from the whole Merlin and Gwaine situation, Elena chatting animatedly by his side. He caught just a glimpse of Merlin’s crestfallen expression before manoeuvring himself into a corner, wedged between Elena and Leon, close to the dining table. That was the other thing about Elena. You wouldn’t guess from looking at her how much food she was able to pack away under that slim waist.

“God, the flight was awful, darling, you have no idea. Oh Lance, my sweetheart, you have excelled yourself again! Is that duck? I’m starving, just pile it on my plate! Gwen, darling, what has he been feeding you? You’re positively glowing! Just a little more chicken, Lance, my love. Oh my god, this steak is divine!”

She could be a little overwhelming at times, and had no concept of personal space, but that worked fine for him right now. He could just about observe Merlin and Gwaine from a safe distance while Elena fed him tidbits.

“I can use my hands, Elena,” he protested when she tried to pop a grape into his mouth.

“You’re no fun.” She pouted at him.

But after about half an hour of it, he’d grown rather tired of her puppyish enthusiasm. She couldn’t help it, he knew, but he really wasn’t ready to hear about her exploits as a showjumper in the U.S., and he especially didn’t want to hear all about her horse, Pepper, who was such a favourite with the public. Gradually he felt his smile become more and more fixed and the conversation become more-and-more one-sided. Whereas everyone on the next table seemed to be terribly jolly, especially the oh-so-debonair Gwaine.

“...And then we won the purple rosette, Pepper looked so magnificent, Arthur, you would have loved her. Jesus, I’m desperate for a piss. Wait here, darling. I’ll be right back! Smooches!” She lifted her skirts slightly, to ascend the steps up into the house.

When Merlin came over to take her place by his side, he was actually grateful.

“You okay, Arthur?” said Merlin. “You seem awfully quiet.”

“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks.” Arthur forced himself to smile. “The cripple is doing okay. Don’t worry, you can go back to your lovely, witty boyfriend.”

“What? Gwaine?” Merlin laughed. “Don’t be daft. He’s not my boyfriend!”

“Oh!” Perhaps Arthur had got it wrong after all.

“No, Gwaine’s straight, mate. Flirty with it, mind. But I thought you’d be interested to meet him. He runs a sports-injury rehab clinic… he’s got a prosthetic leg, although you’d never know! I thought you might want to start training again soon and… what?”

Realising that he was gaping at Merlin like a fish, Arthur closed his mouth and coughed. He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Oh! It’s just that when you came together I thought he was your…you know. Significant other.”

“Nah. I’m single, as it happens,” said Merlin, toying with his empty champagne flute. “So… you and that… bouncy… woman, then--” From his tone of voice, and the way he was frowning, Merlin didn’t think much of Elena.

“God, no! She’s an old friend, that’s all!” Although it was now dark, Arthur felt sunshine seeping through his bones. “And anyway, not my type at all.”

“No?”

“No,” said Arthur, firmly. “Too many breasts, that sort of thing.”

“Yeah, she does seem to have an awful lot of breasts,” said Merlin.

They both laughed and then sat together for a moment in an awkward silence which seemed to stretch on for just a little too long. To fill the gap, Arthur finally spoke.

“So… you got anyone lined up?” he said.

“So… is there a special person in your--” said Merlin at the same time.

They both laughed again.

“God,” said Merlin, with a rueful grin which made a fascinating dimple appear below his lips for a second while he spoke. “As it happens, there’s someone I really like. But he’s a patient, so it’s a little bit professionally… complex. So for now I have chosen to... keep my feelings under wraps, as it were.”

“Funny that,” said Arthur, his heart pounding. “There’s someone I… like. A lot. But he’s an employee of sorts, so it’s a little bit ethically… difficult. I've chosen to play safe for now, but...”

“Funny,” breathed Merlin, his face bending a little nearer.

All around them the sounds of oblivious and raucous conversation blended into a distant bubble. Merlin’s plump, dark lips were slightly parted, with a dark slit between them like an invitation. It would only take a moment, just one second, to dip in and seal the choice. 

Just then they were interrupted by the sound of someone deliberately banging their knife against a glass, in the traditional way that meant an announcement was about to be made.

Merlin sprang back so quickly that he nearly knocked his chair over.

“Listen up, people,” called out Gwen, the wielder of the glass and knife of doom. She bore a beaming smile on her face. Arthur could have throttled her. “Lance and I have an announcement to make!.

She paused for dramatic effect. “We’re getting married!”

Amid the loud cheers that accompanied this statement, Arthur and Merlin exchanged a look that was heavy with questions.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: not my characters, I'm not getting paid.


End file.
